


Black Coat

by sir_red



Category: Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-11
Updated: 2013-08-11
Packaged: 2017-12-23 03:25:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/921437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sir_red/pseuds/sir_red
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the first in a multi-part series I'm planning called Black Coat. Apologies that its all information dumps at this point, there's a fair few issues i wanted to get out of the way before I could begin the narrative properly.</p>
<p>Significantly edited on 15/8/13. My apologies the first posting was really more of a draft and i now regret putting it up at all. I'll be sure to take my time before posting in the future!</p>
<p>Spoilers (obviously) for AMOL.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Black Coat

The Westerly wind came from the Aryth Ocean. The air was remarkably clean, as though something had scrubbed any residual smell from its surface. It was also bitingly cold. 

In the heights of the Mountains of Mist the air had a brittle quality, as though it was made of jagged edges. It hurt sometimes to breathe and even the slightest exertion could leave the men gasping for air. 

Udrian Damara was growing frustrated at the slow pace. The most frustrating thing of course was that there was nothing he could do to increase the lethargic progress of the digging. 

The chamber was several paces above their present level, yet the only passage he had found to access it was angled steeply upward. At some point in the last three millennia a tone of debris had become dislodged from higher within the cave system and fallen to fill the passage. A few of the larger stones had left the passage to rest on the small ledge on which they were standing. The three workmen he had hired in Jehannah worked at a snail’s pace. Their progress was stifled by both the strange lethargy in the air and out of necessity. The stones were piled up on top of each other that any single extraction might cause the entire lot to pour out and sweep the small cliff free. 

Udrian had considered using the One Power to increase their pace, yet quickly dismissed the notion. He knew of no way to safely shift the boulders without possibly dislodging the item trapped in the above chamber. While he was certain the item was fairly durable he would risk no harm coming to it - such as might be caused by it falling from the mountain. 

Udrian looked toward the edge of the cliff and shuddered. Even as a young boy he had never been comfortable with heights. As a young lad some of the boys had taken to climbing the encircling wall which surrounded the Stone of Tear. He had been merciless mocked for his cowardice, in the cruel manner of children. But even the cruelty of the other boys could not move him to make the climb. He was simply too afraid. 

Finally little Ewin had fallen from the wall and broken his back. Ewin had never been the same afterward. It was as though he had given up the will to live. He died several months before his 18th birthday. By that stage the climbing had long since ended. Once the matrons who were responsible for raising the lordlings that dwelled in the stone got wind of what was going on they managed to put an end to the climbing.

Despite his mounting frustration Udrian did not find himself growing angry that he couldn’t use the One Power to aid his situation. After all without the power it was unlikely they would ever have been able to climb this far. 

Even with the aid of Travelling it had taken them two entire days to reach their present height. As they climbed, often the gateways he weaved took the four men no higher than a few paces in height. Even Udrian had not resented the need for caution though. An Asha’man of his strength might be able to live up to five or six centuries and he had no intention of ending his life prematurely through foolishness.

The Black Coat Udrian wore was immaculate. The Dragon and Sword pins on his collars gleamed. Many Asha’man had taken to dressing like ordinary men whenever they were left the Black Tower. Udrian however liked to wear the coat wherever possible. He avoided doing so only when he thought it might invite trouble. 

The Black Coat had the pleasant side effect of reminding the men that they should fear him. Udrian was far less conscious of rank than most Tairens. Even before the Dragon’s coming he was considered peculiar for the respect with which he treated commoners. However, Udrian was a strong believer that any man who took your coin, particularly in a foreign nation would do well to fear you. In his particular circumstances Udrian was acutely aware that his three underlings might find it easier to take his coin if he were to fall from a cliff. 

Udrian was fairly certain the men were trustworthy, as trustworthy as any stranger could be. Udrian had been wrong before and he had no intention of finding out the hard way how the labourers might treat a stranger if given the opportunity to take advantage. 

Udrian knew better than most men there was a time to appear weak, meek and mild but this was not it. Dealing with strangers such as these required negotiation from a position of strength and he was willing to demonstrate that strength in order to keep the fellows cowed. 

The second morning they had made their way out of Jehannah a group of rough dressed bandits had attempted to assault their party.

Udrian had smiled openly as the fellows had lined up before them.

There were twenty of them in total. As Udrian’s small party approached they emerged from either side of the road forming a rough circle around them. All twenty were standing, while Udrian and his party were mounted, yet the bandits obviously thought that the dozen crossbows they carried would be enough to discourage any attempt by Udrian’s party to flee. 

Udrian had no intention of fleeing. 

He began by weaving air. He placed two barriers on either side of his party to prevent any bolts he might miss from striking him or his workers. 

Then the fight began in earnest. 

A single weave of air snared four of the fellows on the right hand side, locking their arms to their sides and preventing them from moving, let alone attacking. The other bandits spread out warily, though three attempted to flee. He bound the runners next, capturing them mid-stride and hauling them up into the air for greater effect, before dragging their screaming forms down to stand neatly next to the original four. 

Over the space of a minute the remaining thirteen bandits were neatly bound and placed standing side by side. For the most part the men glared at Udrian and his companions angrily, though a few had the common sense to look frightened. 

Udrian was sorely tempted to take all twenty back to Jehannah. Yet even he would have struggled to hold twenty men captive, without using weaves which would place him in hot water with the Black Tower. A dark corner of his mind suggested he neatly dispose of the twenty, stop their hearts and use a gateway to send their bodies somewhere they would never be found - perhaps into the heart of Dragonmount. Yet Udrian resisted those thoughts. The Black Tower had finally began to gain respect in people’s eyes and killing unless strictly necessary was rarely well received. 

Without anything better to do Udrian used carefully crafted weaves of air and fire to remove all of the men’s clothing, leaving them standing naked on the road side. He had then used weaves of air to give them a proper switching as though they were naughty boys rather than dangerous killers. He then left the twenty standing on the side of the road for everyone to see, and hopefully the Queen’s Guards to capture, though he tied the weaves so that they would dissolve after a single day so that the men didn’t starve. 

As he watched the three workman struggle to shift the enormous stones Udrian smiled to himself at satisfaction at the memory. Udrian was always careful with his power, growing up in Tear Udrian had seen how much the One Power could frighten those who did not understand its nature and was committed to using it responsibly. At the same time there was a certain satisfaction in demonstrating your strength to the world, even against foes so pathetic as those half-starved bandits. 

What’s more Udrian felt his response was proper for one who spent much of the past few years serving as a Diplomat. Well in any case it was a proper response for a diplomat who also happened to be one of the most powerful of the Asha’man!

Udrian Damara was not what most people expected from the foremost Diplomat of the Black Tower. Like many of the Asha’man those who met Udrian assumed that he was much younger than he actually was. For some reason many assumed that the Asha’man would age like normal men, while not expecting the same of the Aes Sedai. 

In truth Udrian was very nearly forty years old, though most thought he looked half his years. Udrian had become a diplomat for the Asha’man because there was no-one else even slightly suitable for the position. While there were many within the Tower, including Logain himself, with noble upbringings, none had experienced the subtle machinations of Court politics and intrigue. 

Androl Genhald had insisted to Logain that Udrian, with his childhood at the Tairen Court, was the best choice to handle diplomatic relations for the Asha’man. 

After a time Logain had agreed.

It had been Udrian who had petitioned the Hall of Veterans to appoint official Ambassadors to each of the Great Courts, the Aiel, the Sea Folk, the White Tower and the Seanchan Empire. It had been Udrian who had then had to train those Ambassadors.

If there was to be lasting peace, something which Udrian believed the vast majority of people wanted, there needed to be diplomacy. The White Tower had an entire Ajah devoted to diplomatic affairs. In the beginning Udrian had only had himself. Though in truth Udrian had always relied on Androl. Udrian doubted he could have achieved half of what he did without Androl. 

Udrian’s proposal had ultimately been too ambitious. Despite his best intentions there were those, namely the Seanchan who had no interest in establishing a relationship with the Black Tower.

Udrian had stood in the Palace of the Winds surrounded by a ring of twenty damane, with their steel-eyed Sul’dam staring at him as though he was the Dark One himself. The damane and Sul’dam had in turn been surrounded by nearly five hundred Death Watch Guards. Udrian probably would have been flattered that the Seanchan considered him to be such a threat. Though he still wasn’t certain what threat he might reasonably have posed when he had been shielded the entire time.

The Empress had not said a word to him, choosing instead to speak through her Voice. Udrian would have died in that place, regardless of the consequences if it hadn’t been for Min Farshaw. To this day he didn’t know what the strange woman had whispered to the Empress but that single phrase was enough for the Empress to send him away, alive though a little worse for wear. 

The other parties within Udrian’s proposal had been more accepting of the Black Tower’s Offer. The fiercest negotiations were, perhaps surprisingly, with High Queen Elayne. She had not begun to style herself as such at the time though it was only a matter of months later that the Sun Court was officially declared. Again it had been the influence of another who had smoothed over the process. 

Elayne remained incensed that the Black Tower claimed independence from Andor. She would simply not allow any entity to extract land from her Kingdom. What is more the Queen had said, perhaps a little smugly, given there was no provision for the Black Tower within the Dragon’s Peace the Tower had no official basis to negotiate its borders. Udrian had very politely pointed out the integral part the Black Tower had played in ensuring that there presently was an Andor by ensuring victory at the Battle of Cairhien. 

Androl had not quite as politely suggested that the Black Tower wouldn’t likely come second best in a conflict with any nation. 

He was still surprised that things hadn’t come to blows. 

It had been High Lord Perrin Goldeneyes who had ultimately won Elayne over. Again Udrian didn’t know what exactly had been said in his defence but Perrin had spoken to the High Queen and they had at least the opportunity to negotiate without things descending into violence. 

Udrian knew that he had come second best in that negotiation. To this day a large proportion of the Black Tower held him responsible for their three years of unpaid labor assisting in the reconstruction of Caemlyn as payment for the Black Tower’s land.

The workmen looked up to see the sun had reached the midway point and promptly flopped down to the ground to begin their midday break. Udrian was somewhat annoyed that they would presume to stop without his permission before he caught himself…he really was beginning to think like a Tairen!

Instead Udrian walked over to their saddlebags and began to root around in search of a meal. Once he had found his supplies and fashioned himself a meal of dried meat, bread and water he sat down again, his back against the mountain and returned to his silent ponderings. 

It was strange, Udrian thought, how his fear of heights seemed to come and go. At times he could nearly forget that they were so far above the ground and then the realization would strike him and his entire body would break out in sweats that even his self-will could not contain. Now sitting nearly a dozen paces from the cliff face Udrian still felt the familiar curdling of terror in his stomach, at the thought of so much air between himself and the ground far below. 

After the negotiations were completed the rulers of the Court of the Sun had gathered to sign the formal treaty with the Black Tower. While in theory only Elayne’s signature was necessary Udrian had insisted that all of the monarchs sign the document. Queen Elayne had signed for both Andor and Cairhien. She had been joined by the Queens of Saldaea and Ghealdan, the Lord Regent of the Two Rivers and the First of Mayene. 

In one of the more unusual pairings Udrian had ever witnessed Galad Damodred Lord Captain Commander of the Children of the Light and Logain Ablar First Lord of the Asha’man had signed the treaty standing side-by-side.

The negotiations with the Court of the Stone had been more straight forward, though Udrian had benefited from his Tairen heritage. For some reason High King Darlin had assumed that as a Tairen he could expect some degree of loyalty from Udrian. 

Udrian felt the King should have known better. 

The settlement with Darlin had been much better received by the Hall of Veterans. Not only did the Court of the Stone agree to formally recognise the Black Tower and receive an Ambassador in each of its constituent Courts but Udrian established an arrangement with Darlin for exclusive use of the Travelling Talents of the Black Tower. There had been some resentment among his fellow Asha’man for that provision as well until they realized that the Black Tower needed a source of income and indexed rates he had negotiated with Darlin would provide the Black Tower with much needed funds. 

Androl had spoke in his defence. Unlike the Aes Sedai, Androl had argued to the Hall, the Black Tower could not rely on the taxes from a city as large as Tar Valon to support itself. What was more given their greater strength in the One Power a single Asha’man could move more cargo than the circles of Kinswomen that Andor had begun to use. Androl’s expertise in travelling had helped win over the Veterans and unsurprisingly Androl was right. Within a few years the Black Tower had come to dominate transport of goods by land through the One Power, although the Sea Folk continued to dominate the sea trade.

Surprisingly it was not the Tairens, the Illianers, the Domani nor the representatives from Far Madding who created a fuss about the terms agreed to by the Court of the Stone. It was the King of Murandy, in all of his pompous glory, who had screamed until he was red in the face. Until, at least, Lord Logain had shared a meal with the King of Murandy. Logain wouldn’t comment on what the two had discussed over their meal of freshly caught snapper but suddenly King Roedran was much more cooperative with the process.

Of the three Great Courts it was the Border-land Court of the Lakes which was most enthusiastic about an agreement with the Black Tower, though Lan Mandrogoran had insisted on a formal alliance instead. The Borderlanders had been most devastated by the last Battle, the Arafellians, Kandori and Shienarans had all had to completely rebuild their nations. The Malkieri had to reclaim their lands from the retreating Blight before they could even begin to rebuild!

The Asha’man assistance to rebuild the North had been led by Jahar Narishma since the end of the Last Battle. Despite his youth Narishma had impressed many becoming one of the most respected members of the Hall of Veterans. It had been he who had led the contingent that, along with the Ogier, had helped to rebuild the Seven Towers and cleanse the Thousand Lakes. 

Narishma had unsurprisingly taken a key role in the negotiations with the North. The greatest danger Udrian had feared was that the Black Tower would concede too much to the Malkieri. It had been Queen Nynaeve who had both cleansed Saidin and devised the method to heal the remaining madness left over by the Taint. In Udrian’s experience most Asha’man tended to view Nynaeve as something short of the Creator. 

Udrian however had been somewhat unimpressed by Nynaeve. He found her to be a bossy woman with a remarkably foul temper. Never before had Udrian met an Aes Sedai with such poor control of her emotions. 

Ultimately the Black Tower agreed to station a single representative in each of the Northern Courts. Though the formal negotiations for Asha’man assistance for the Borderland armies had thankfully been postponed before Narishma could give away the Black Tower itself!

Udrian was grateful to finally have a few months off to himself to engage in his true passion - study. Even from a young age Udrian had wanted to be a scholar, like his mother before him. 

Udrian’s father Derian had been a Tairen Lord of the Land, though his first Cousin had served as a High Lord and had been counted as one of the most powerful men in Tear. Derian may not have ever worn the title of High Lord though he had been a master at the Game of Houses. Had Derian not drowned at a young age as a result of a fishing accident, Udrian thought he would have joined his cousin in ruling Tear as a High Lord. It was unusual to have two High Lords from the same House, yet as one of the oldest, richest and most powerful Houses in Tear its unlikely anyone would have challenged the right of the House of Damara to do so. 

It would be years later that Udrian had realized that his father’s success had perhaps been a little too great. It was not that his father wasn’t clever but some days it seemed as though ever plot he hatched seemed to go his way. Every manipulation he planned turned out to be a success. 

Luck others had called it but Udrian had thought it strange, even at a young age. 

It was even more strange that his father had fallen from a boat on his way to their Estates in the South. Stranger still that an anchor had disappeared around the same time that his father had sunk beneath the water of the Fingers of the Dragon.

His father had made powerful enemies during his years playing the Game and his Cousin Astoril had, by that stage, begun his long retirement. Udrian had been left alone to survive in the Court, without his father’s guidance. His mother, while a brilliant woman in her own right, had been of little help to Udrian. His father had once joked that had Rian been an Aes Sedai she surely would have chosen the Brown Ajah. His mother, though mortified at being compared to Aes Sedai, had not disagreed with her husband’s sentiment. 

Udrian finished his meal and his reminiscence. He brushed the crumbs from his black jacket and went to rouse the workers.


End file.
